Harmonious relationships are the foundation of a peaceful and fulfilling life. Whether in families, friendships, workplaces or communities harmony in relationships creates an atmosphere of trust, understanding and mutual respect. When individuals strive for harmony in their personal and social interactions, they contribute to a more compassionate and peaceful world. This talk will look at what lies at the heart of harmonious relationships, how to deal with conflict and manage differences and what qualities and habits help to create harmony in relationships. Speaker: Manda Patel is a student and teacher of Raja Yoga meditation with more than 40 years of experience. A gifted teacher and speaker whose warmth, clarity and authenticity make the spiritual journey feel accessible and doable for all. She plays a key administrative role in Brahma Kumaris activities in the UK and also as a member of the Coordinating Team of the Global Retreat Centre, near Oxford. Sister Manda travels widely as an ambassador of the simple spiritual understandings that lie behind the philosophy of the Brahma Kumaris.

Learning the difference might be the most powerful productivity lesson of your life. It is important to realise that you can’t do everything and it’s very useful to figure out what the ‘anything’ and ‘everything’ is in your life. Perhaps the secret to success isn't adding more to your plate, but having the courage to clear it for the things that really matter. Our speaker this evening has experienced first hand what it is like to be faced with constant deadlines and conflicting demands. He will share his experiences and insights into the costs of trying to do everything, how to find a balance, the skills you need to develop and how to thrive, not just survive. Speaker: Eric Le Reste spent 38 years with CBC/Radio-Canada as a journalist and executive producer of major news and documentary programs. Now retired, he is based in Montreal and serves as the National Coordinator of the Brahma Kumaris in Canada, sharing meditation and spiritual insights worldwide.

This newly published book by Pearl Jordan is designed as a healing journey. It’s filled with stories of love, pain, rhythm, laughter and hope. A book of transformation and reclamation in which Pearl shares her process of self-discovery and how she awakened to her truth, her unique rhythm and to self-love. Pearl poses the questions: Who are you? Whose dance are you dancing? Are you in tune or out of tune? Join us for this special Thursday conversation in which Samantha Fraser will explore with Pearl how she came to write this book, the inspirations and experiences which gave it life, and what have been the outcomes for her. A former dancer and choreographer Pearl is the founder of The Rhythmic Remedy, a peak performance and wellbeing company where personal and professional growth meets movement and dance. Through coaching, workshops and professional speaking, Pearl guides women who are in transition to lightly dance into the next phase of their life. Pearl’s work is grounded in her spirituality and meditation practice. Samantha has been a primary school teacher for nearly 30 years. Although she was born in London, Samantha spent 20 years working in different countries in Africa setting up value-based programmes in schools. She also coordinated Brahma Kumaris centres in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Samantha is currently based at the Global Retreat centre where she is the events coordinator.

Life inevitably presents moments when the way forward isn’t clear and every option carries some degree of risk, uncertainty and emotional weight. Even small everyday decisions can be challenging at times. The talk this evening will explore the internal and external influences on our decision making, how to balance head and heart and what strategies we can draw on to transform indecision into purposeful action. Usha Jevan is a humanitarian, who is well respected as an inspirational and motivational speaker, based in the city of Durban, South Africa. Her clarity of thought and words of wisdom have supported many individuals on their journey of personal development. For more than three decades, Sister Usha has shared her insights with youth, women, the elderly, prisoners, people with disabilities, patients receiving palliative care, NGO colleagues, health care professionals and educators.

At school we were taught to think of the heart as a pump and later, in more scientific language, as a powerhouse of electromagnetic energy. Psychology and human development studies see the heart as symbolic of love, emotion, connection. This talk will explore the fascinating connections between science, biology and human experience and how coherence between heart and brain affects perception, decision-making and emotional wellbeing. Speaker: Neville Hodgkinson is an author and journalist who specialised for much of his career in writing about science and medicine. He has been a student of Raja Yoga for more than 40 years and is based at the Global Retreat Centre in Oxfordshire.

Dedicated to Earth Day 2026 Is the world out of tune, or are we? True power cannot be found in consumption and ownership, but in resonance: the sacred ability to align our lives with the heartbeat of a living world. Join us to explore how we can move from the discord of exploitation to the harmony of stewardship. The planet is calling; are we listening? This talk is to mark the Earth Day theme: Our Power Our Planet and to acknowledge the first Global Healing Day initiative on 25th April 2026 Speaker: Dr David Fletcher has been a social justice educator and advocate for over 35 years. He trained as a cultural anthropologist and has studied and worked with indigenous peoples in Africa and North America. He is deeply committed to revitalising a harmonious relationship with the natural world and all other living beings on this planet. His current research interests are in indigenous knowledge, community resilience and food sovereignty. David has been practising Raja Yoga meditation for over 20 years.

This fascinating topic bridges the ancient and the contemporary. Exploring how the ancient teachings whether Classical, Eastern or Western swirl through stories of values, of love, of God and of the soul and offers timeless wisdom to guide us through the complexity of modern living. Speaker: Rachel Priestman Rachel’s varied career has spanned librarianship, urban regeneration, PR and marketing, events and arts management - and a few other things in between. She currently volunteers with the Brahma Kumaris at Global Co-operation House in London, and is a member of the UK Media and Communications team.

Life can seem like a serious business and we do need to be active, alert and responsive. However, no-one likes a too-busy face or a basket of worries on the head. So what does personal lightness actually look like? What are the ingredients and what are the things we need to let go of? This talk will explore the steps and balances we can put in place in order to experience our life as beautiful rather than as a burden. Speaker: Judi Rich Judi works as a graphic designer and fitness instructor. She also coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris in Calgary which is her hometown. Though the intensity and activity of fitness and the stillness and silence of contemplation may seem incompatible, Judi has found that the opposite is true... that they actually enhance each other and create a sense of well-being when integrated.

Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. We need trust as an investment. Stephen Covey Trust is not just a nice-to-have quality - it is the foundation of every relationship, every successful organisation and every thriving community. In whichever area of life, trust creates a much needed sense of emotional safety. However, history offers many examples of how fragile trust can be. Our speaker this evening will explore:what trust is, what builds it, how is it broken and how can it be restored? . Speaker: Guillermo (Bill) Simó Bill has been a student and teacher with the Brahma Kumaris since 1986. He is an active member of the Spanish Coordination Team overseeing Brahma Kumaris activities in Spain and supporting Spanish language speaking countries worldwide. Bill is an author of two books: The Architecture of Calm, and 8 Strategies of Mindfulness for Self-Leadership. He currently works creating content for the App Medita (a meditation App to introduce simple practices of meditation) and for other digital platforms.

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. Peter Drucker We have more tools, apps and hacks than ever before yet we can still feel the pressure of trying to keep up. It begs the question: does a life lived at maximum speed leave any room for true growth? This talk will explore the anxiety of the modern to-do list and offers a roadmap for how we can slow down to speed up - helping us to build a life where our value isn’t measured by our output. Speaker: Mathias lives in Switzerland and is a stress and resilience coach and a former headmaster. Since discovering Raja Yoga during his travels in India, Mathias has found that by practically applying a spiritual perspective in his life, he has been able to deal with all sorts of people and challenges in a positive way. Mathias coordinates the activities of the Brahma Kumaris Centre in Zurich and is part of the National Coordinators Team in Switzerland.

We often find ourselves haunted by what was, or full of anxiety about what will be. In the process, we lose the only moment we actually possess: the now. This talk explores how to bridge the gap between these three dynamics: learning to honour the legacy of who you were, mastering the quiet art of inhabiting who you are, and moving with purpose toward who you are becoming. Speaker: Marianne Lizama Marianne has been practising Raja Yoga meditation for 30 years and coordinates the activities of Brahma Kumaris in Costa Rica. She is part of the team at the Brahma Kumaris office at the United Nations, working on women's empowerment issues. Marianne is a psychologist by profession, specialising in domestic violence, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. In addition, she works clinically on crisis and anxiety management.

When it comes to ‘wellbeing’, we’ve often become very proficient at taking care of our physical wellbeing: we’re doing the ‘steps’, eating the greens and drinking the water. But in terms of our emotional wellbeing we don’t always know where to start. This talk dives into why the internal landscape gets neglected, and how we can learn to understand and nourish it more effectively. Sarah Trueman is an engaging facilitator with a light hearted and down-to-earth approach. She enjoys sharing the methods she uses to experience self-esteem. Sarah has been a student of Raja Yoga meditation for over 30 years, creating self-development workshops both for the Brahma Kumaris and as a self-employed trainer and coach in the public and private sectors. She currently facilitates and coordinates events and social media for the Brahma Kumaris in Leeds.